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Corrin Adamo’s voice was still hoarse 48 hours later.
Adamo joined Penn’s rugby team for her final two years of high school, graduating in 2019. The Lady Kingsmen made a run to the state championship game in her senior season but fell short, which made leading the squad back to the top of the mountain as their head coach and winning a state title for the first time since 2016 doubly special for Adamo.
Penn won the 2026 Rugby Indiana state championship, Monday, May 25, at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis, beating Pendleton Heights, 34-10. Six different Lady Kingsmen players scored in the victory, avenging Penn’s only loss of the regular season. Five players scored in a 27-5 triumph over Mudsock, a team based out of Fishers, to advance to the state championship game.
“There’s actually no words I could put together to describe the pride I feel,” said Adamo through the hoarseness a few days after the fact. “Being a former player for Penn, being able to go all the way to state and win it all, it hits hard. To see these girls work so hard three to four times a week, on top of conditioning, it really means a lot. They really showed up and showed out like I knew they would; I’m so happy.”
Depth was key for Penn this season, boasting a 20-deep roster despite rugby not being an IHSAA-sanctioned sport. Only one of them was a senior.
Emma Rodefer fully embraced being the lone 12th grader, taking on the responsibilities of team captain and running with them. Having played rugby all four years of high school, she realized how storybook the end of her journey truly was.
“It was crazy. The whole season, you could feel the energy of how excited we were,” Rodefer said. “This is the best group of girls. They’ve taught me so much about resilience and making sure to keep good people close to you.
“They make sure I’m always in a happy mood when I come to practice. Even when I come to practice and I’m not having a good day, they make it 10 times better. They make me want to work on myself more and make me the best version of myself I can be.”
Rodefer didn’t play any other sports at Penn, but junior Sophia Hurley wrestled before joining the Lady Kingsmen for rugby as a sophomore. A year later, she scored in each of the two biggest games Penn has played this decade.
She said leadership from Rodefer and Adamo has made picking up a niche sport easy.
“You just feel at home the second you join,” Hurley said. “We were really bonded this season. It feels like a second family; we all feel like we’re sisters because we have support on and off the field.”
Hurley said it’s the team chemistry and the prospect of learning something new each time she steps on the field that gets her excited about attending practice each day. With no limit on how many people can fill a roster, Hurley and Rodefer were emphatic that any aspiring athlete who may not have yet found a sport that fulfills them will find a home with Penn rugby.
Anyone interested can contact the Lady Kingsmen Rugby Club Facebook page, the Lady_Kingsmen_Rugby Instagram page or email at girlsrugbypenn@gmail.com. It’s hard to find a better pitch than the one Hurley gave fresh off winning a state championship.
“When I joined rugby, it just felt like it was meant to be,” Hurley said. “… You don’t have to be a boy to play a hard sport. You can be a girl and play rugby, be tough and win. Anybody can play rugby. There is a position for everybody, no matter your body size or how athletic you are.”
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.
